Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41698000›Full record

ArticleJournal of animal science2026

Responses to the backtest as genetic indicators of disease resilience in grow-finish pigs.

Fazhir Kayondo, Yolande M Seddon, Frederic Fortin, John C S Harding, Michael K Dyck, Graham S Plastow, Pig Gen Canada, Jack C M Dekkers

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of animal science, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Fazhir KayondoDepartment of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA.
Yolande M SeddonWestern College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B4, Canada.
Frederic FortinCentre de Devéloppement du Porc du Québec Inc, Québec City, QC G1V 4M6, Canada.
John C S HardingWestern College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B4, Canada.
Michael K DyckDepartment of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada.
Graham S PlastowDepartment of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-3774-3110
Pig Gen Canada
Jack C M DekkersDepartment of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1557-7577

Funding

Genome Canada, Genome Alberta, Genome Prairie, PigGen CanadaGovernment of Canada, and USDA-NIFA 2021-67014-34562
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Behavioral responses to the backtest are heritable and genetically correlated with physiological response to infectious and non-infectious stressors in pigs. This study explored their potential as genetic indicator traits for the resilience of pigs to diseases. A total of 4,095 Yorkshire x Landrace barrows were phenotyped for performance and disease resilience traits before, during, and after their initial exposure to a polymicrobial disease challenge and genotyped for 650K single nucleotide polymorphisms across the genome. Traits recorded included average daily gain, feed intake, feeding duration, feed efficiency traits, subjective health scores, health treatment and mortality rates, antibody- and cell-mediated immune responses, and the carcass traits of carcass weight, dressing percentage, carcass loin depth, lean yield, and carcass backfat. The backtest was performed on 899 of these pigs for 30 s at ∼27 days of age, prior to their initial exposure to the challenge, and recorded responses included the number and intensity of vocalizations and of struggles. Estimates of phenotypic correlations of backtest responses with performance and resilience traits were generally low, ranging from -0.08 to 0.11. Corresponding estimates of genetic correlations with each performance and resilience trait were similar for the four backtest response traits and ranged from -0.92 to 0.58 but with large standard errors. Suggestive estimates, however, indicated that selecting pigs with high backtest responses would result in pigs with higher average daily gain and feed intake and lower mortality rates but more clinical treatments under disease. Inconclusive genetic correlations were observed for backtest responses with health scores, feed efficiency traits, and immune response traits. These results suggest that backtest responses evaluated on young and clinically healthy pigs have potential as genetic indicator traits for performance and disease resilience of pigs, although more data are required to validate the strength of these relationships for more robust applications in the swine breeding industry.

Indexed as

Disease ResistanceSwine DiseasesAnimalsMalePhenotypePolymorphism, Single NucleotideSwineWeight Gainbacktestdisease resiliencegenetic correlationspigs

Identifiers

PMID41698000
PMCPMC13074482

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.